The present invention relates generally to wireless communication devices having relatively moveable housing portions and, more particularly, to a hinge mechanism for connecting the relatively movable housing portions.
Wireless communications devices, such as cellular phones, personal digital assistants, and the like, frequently have two housing portions that are relatively moveable. For example, a common cell phone design is a so-called clamshell design, with a “flip” having a speaker and a display, and a base portion having a keypad and a microphone. The flip portion is connected to a base portion via a hinge. The flip portion rotates via the hinge between a closed position disposed proximate the base section in an overlying configuration and an open position where the flip and base are aligned end to end, similar to an open clamshell. The flip can typically be rotated open between about 90° and 180°, and sometimes more, relative to the base portion.
Wireless communications devices are rapidly adding functionality to the basic cell phone functionality. For example, many wireless communications devices can now be used for gaming, and/or for various business functions previously performed on office computers. For some of these additional functions, a traditional twelve-key phone keypad may be problematic, and a qwerty or similar keypad may be more desirable. Further, for many of these additional functions, a different screen orientation may be desired, such as one with a wider-than-tall orientation. Thus, as can be appreciated, while the conventional clamshell arrangement discussed above may be desirable when the device is used as a conventional cell phone, the conventional clamshell arrangement may be less desirable when the device is used for other purposes.
Therefore, while numerous wireless communications devices have been proposed, their configurations have not proven to be entirely satisfactory for some of the situations outlined above. Accordingly, there remains a need for alternative wireless communications device designs, advantageously ones that allow for a more user-friendly utilization of the device.